I am going into my junior year of nursing school, and there are multiple things that pushed me to go this route. One of the main reasons I want to be a nurse is my love for the human body and how it works. Each and every person is different in their genetic makeup, personality, character, etc. Each person is prone to certain conditions as well. For example, African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure, and those of European descent tend to have Celiac disease more than others. Each one is different, and things can go wrong in an instant. I like knowing the "why" something goes wrong or right. Knowing how the body normally functions is essential to understanding why things go wrong and how health professionals can help fix them. This is why I weirdly liked the pathophysiology class that I took last semester. Was it the hardest class I have ever taken? Yes. But did I feel very accomplished after passing that class with the grade that I did? Also, yes. The class was grueling, but it made me think about the "why." I did not necessarily need to memorize every bit of information (that would have been quite literally impossible). I am the first person in my family to go to a 4-year school, so I look forward to the next few years. I am the first person to go this far in education, so I hope to attain my bachelor's degree and pass the NCLEX! I am not sure what specific area I want to go into yet, as I have not taken my classes for each specialty or done clinicals yet. I have thought about travel nursing for a while now. I know that I will need experience, so first I plan to work in an area that will help me learn a lot. I have traveled to Ecuador multiple times for mission trips and plan on going again at the end of July. While I am there, I get to help with medical missions by obtaining vital signs and asking various questions for patient intake. While we are there, we also share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provide food, and try to listen to what the villagers have to say. A lot of the time, they just want someone to talk to who will listen to them and what they have to say about their struggles and life. This has made me even more passionate about wanting to pursue travel nursing, as I have fallen in love with Ecuador and its people. I could see myself working for an organization that sends qualified medical teams on mission trips to help give medical care to those who need it, across the United States and other parts of the world.

I could write pages and pages on the things that influenced me to go to nursing school. One of the main things is my mom, but not in the way that you would think. First, let me start by mentioning, I have always been interested in healthcare and how the human body works. Therefore, I have always known that I wanted to do something in the medical field. However, I am someone who thrives on challenges in relation to school and hard work. The harder something is, and the better I am at it, the more accomplished I feel after meeting my goals. My mom went all the way through nursing school and did great throughout her time in her program. But today, she is not a nurse, for reasons that I will not go into. My goal to become a nurse stems from many things, but one of them is being able to accomplish this so that my mom can see that I did it. I work hard and always have when it comes to my education. I want to achieve this to prove to myself that it is possible. There have been mental battles, financial struggles, and long, tiring days, but I believe if I keep putting in the effort, then I can do this. Another reason nursing is the career path that I chose, is the fact that a lot of the time, I like working with others as a team. When I work with other people, especially those who are excited and passionate about similar things that I am, it pushes me to be even better in the tasks that I am doing. I look forward to working with other healthcare professionals, where the ultimate goal should be to help patients and meet their needs. I want to be competent and kind as a nurse, so that patients can have the best experience that is possible, in spite of their difficult circumstances. I haven't always felt like I could talk to the people around me, especially certain healthcare providers, as they can be intimidating. So, I want to be that person for patients. I want to feel like my work life has purpose, and I feel that nursing is a very rewarding way to make that happen. All in all, I look forward to what is to come in my professional life, and I am glad that there have been people who have pushed me toward this journey in ways that they might not even know. I found out about this scholarship because it popped up on my Bold account, as it matched my profile.

I am the daughter of a Romanian immigrant. My dad moved to the United States when he was just 19 years old in order to make a better life for himself and his future family. He went to school, worked hard, and it is partly because of his hard work and dedication that I am going into my junior year of nursing school. Without my dad, I would not be where I am today. I have known that I wanted to work in healthcare for years, and I figured out that nursing was a good choice for me sometime in the middle of my progression through high school. During my sophomore year of high school, I was struggling mentally, as my home life felt like it was falling apart. But during that time, I also started the health science program at my school. That is where I met Mrs. Daves, who I did not know at the time, would have a lasting impact on me and my future. I very quickly learned that Mrs. Daves was not only an amazing teacher who had experience as a nurse, but she was also an amazing listener who would be there for her students in any way that she could be. Throughout my three years of being a part of the health science program, I slowly started to trust Mrs. Daves. A lot of the time, my friends and I would go to eat in her classroom. I talked to her about my struggles at home, and she listened and responded in the best way that she knew how. I truly believe that Mrs. Daves is the person that she is because of her compassionate personality, but also because of her experience as a nurse. She pushed me to fight for my dreams, and she also convinced me to join our high school's HOSA club, of which I eventually became secretary. My goal is to be a nurse because I want to be a sympathetic listener, like Mrs. Daves was to me. I want my future patients to have someone that they can count on and trust to advocate for them. As the daughter of an immigrant who lived under communism, I was taught to work for what I want because it isn't going to be given to me. I made sure to study and push myself throughout high school and eventually became one of the top 10 students in my graduating class by the time I walked across the stage, according to GPA. I continued to work hard throughout my first couple of years of college and still plan on doing so. I hope to continue to gain knowledge that will help me in the future, while also learning more about caring for others. I know that these next two years will be difficult, and I am no genius, but I strive for what I want, and I want to get a bachelor's degree in nursing and pass the NCLEX!

Ever since I was a little kid, the idea of being around blood and guts never really bothered me too much. I always wanted to look at someone's "boo boo" or help take care of someone who had one. As I went into high school, I knew that I wanted to be in the medical field, and when I entered the health science program my sophomore year, I realized that nursing would be a good fit for me and the impact that I wish to have. I want to influence others in the way that my high school health science teacher, Mrs. Daves influences me to this day. She has always pushed her students to be the best that we can be, and reminds us that if she can do it, then we can do it. I want to be that person for my patients. I hope to be an advocate, an educator, and a friend to the people that I’m around in my future career. While in the health science program, I maintained a high GPA, completed many dual enrollment classes, was a leader in HOSA, became a certified medical assistant, amongst other things, all while balancing a social life. I also donated blood a few times, as it is an easy way to help those who need it. I volunteered/interned with the school nurse from my old elementary school. I learned how to properly communicate with children who were upset and sick, and how to talk to parents who were worried about their kids. I also gained knowledge on tasks, like giving medications and wrapping minor wounds. While in my health science program, I learned how to obtain numerous vital signs such as pulse, manual blood pressure, respirations, etc. I became CPR certified and did various skills tests to showcase what I had learned. I also learned how to complete an EKG, which I know will be important for my future in nursing school and as a nurse. All of this knowledge and experience came in handy even earlier than I expected it to. The last couple of summers, I have been on mission trips to Ecuador. Last year, the mission team that I was a part of mainly did medical missions while also sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was able to use some of the skills that I learned in high school to help do intakes before the nurse practitioner/physician saw the people in the villages that we went to. We provided many vitamins, an antiparasitic, glasses, etc., to the individuals that we saw. I was able to obtain hundreds of vital signs throughout the week while a translator helped me communicate. I actually have another trip to Ecuador planned at the end of this month. We will be doing medical missions again. I can honestly say that these trips have been some of the most fulfilling weeks of my life. It felt good to use the things that I have learned in school, while also learning more Spanish each time that I go. My main goal in becoming a nurse is to advocate. I want to be a voice for patients who need someone to speak up for them and their health. Modern-day healthcare can be great, but sometimes people are overlooked or denied simply because providers are in a rush. I hope to be a nurse who is knowledgeable and competent, but also compassionate, supportive, and understanding. Overall, I believe the things that I have accomplished and experienced over the last few years have better equipped me for a career in nursing.

I am entering my junior year of college as a nursing major, which means this is when things get more difficult and expensive. While in high school, I took over 40 credit hours' worth of dual enrollment and two AP classes. I made A's in every one of them, not because I am some genius, but because my dad raised me to know that most things in life are not given freely. Hard work and trying your best in everything you do are what help you get to where you want to be. Taking these classes helped give me insight into what college would be like. I learned good study habits and how to work with others. I became close friends with the salutatorian of my graduating class, which wouldn't have happened if I had not pushed myself to talk and be kind to her, as she was more introverted than me. In the future, I hope to be as kind as I can be to my patients and coworkers, no matter our differences. As I mentioned before, my dad has played a big role in teaching me the things I practice today. He moved from Romania to the United States when he was 19 years old to attend college. He didn't have a lot of money, but since then, he has put his best effort into giving me and my family the life that we have now. I strongly believe that the way I was raised, combined with the study habits, work ethic, and the friendly attitude that dual enrollment courses pushed me to have, is why I am where I am today. If anyone knows anything about being a nursing major, it isn't exactly described as an easy choice or career path. I have a 3.96 GPA after taking various rigorous courses. In relation to my financial situation, I would describe my household as middle class. Growing up, thankfully, I never had to worry about being hungry. However, we weren't ordering gourmet when we went out to eat either. My parents were both single when I was little, so they were doing what they could to make sure that my brother and I had what we needed and, in some cases, things that we wanted. Before I started college, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to attend a 4-year school, up until a few months before my freshman year. The cost of school was something that scared me because I did not want to have thousands of dollars of debt. But my family and I figured it out, as I saved a good amount of money to help pay my tuition and expenses for my first two years of college. That paid for my schooling, along with scholarships, a grant, and some help from my hardworking dad and stepmom. However, this year, I did not receive the South Carolina Need-Based Grant, and the overall cost for me to attend school has increased by thousands, due to factors such as class fees, textbooks, and dorm prices. I can honestly say that I cried when I saw how much this school year was going to cost me, as I was not prepared and I felt blindsided. It feels good to have worked hard and earned my way through the first 2 years of this program. But I need all the help that I can get for the next few years of school, as it has honestly been mentally draining thinking about the future and how I am going to afford the rest of my educational journey.

Going into healthcare is something that I have looked forward to for a very long time. There are various reasons as to why I have always wanted to go into this field. Growing up I always liked looking at cuts and small injuries that me and my brother got while running around and playing. This might seem a bit weird but it's one of my earliest memories that I believe has led me to wanting to pursue a career in the medical field. I have also enjoyed watching crime and medical TV shows. In these shows, there are usually a variety of faked injuries that make me think about what I would do to treat them and the steps that I would take to do so. For example, if someone were to come into the ER with a stab wound, I would first figure out how deep the wound is. I think the thing that influenced me the most when deciding to go into healthcare would be the idea of making patients' days better. No one likes going to the hospital or a doctor's office, but the idea of making someone's experience slightly better makes me happy. This experience is something that I am eagerly looking forward to in the future. I am specifically looking to become a nurse because nursing involves a great amount of patient contact. When thinking about the times in my childhood when I had to go to the doctor, I can clearly remember the nurses who helped explain procedures and keep me calm. There have been a few times when I have been frightened due to health concerns. For example, when I was in the 2nd grade, I came home from school one day in agonizing pain. My abdomen hurt very bad, so much so that it led to me being unable to walk. My dad took me to the nearest urgent care, and they sent me to a hospital that specialized in pediatrics. The physician ordered an ultrasound, and I can distinctly remember my nurse holding my hand through the whole process. As an 8-year-old kid, I was terrified by the unique machine that they were using, and having someone to talk me through it, in simple terms, was very comforting. As a woman in society, I hope to be a leading example for young girls and boys. My thought process involves thinking about the goal of helping one person feel better or more comfortable while they are in any type of healthcare setting. This will make all of the struggles I face during college worth it. I hope to be the nurse that a young child will always remember, simply because I was kind and consoling. Throughout history, being a woman in the United States has certainly had its pros and cons. However, as time has progressed, life for women has gotten better and we've obtained more and more freedoms. Nevertheless, there have still been several disadvantages for women in society, and specifically in the healthcare system. Some feel as though they are not heard or taken seriously by male providers, simply because they are women. As a future healthcare worker, I hope to collaborate with my coworkers in an attempt to help reduce these feelings that female patients have.